Ridley Scott Casts 11-Year Old Boy to Speak as God in 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'

Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” will open in theaters Dec. 12. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the portrayal of God in the movie may cause controversy with Christians.

Director Ridley Scott cast 11-year-old British actor Isaac Andrews to play the role of Malak in the film. In Scott’s interpretation of the story, Moses meets Malak in front of a burning bush and it becomes apparent to Moses that God is speaking through Malak.

Scott said, "Sacred texts give no specific depiction of God, so for centuries artists and filmmakers have had to choose their own visual depiction. Malak exudes innocence and purity, and those two qualities are extremely powerful."

Rabbi David Baron, a consultant on the film, believes that Scott’s decision to portray God speaking through a child may cause controversy, because that is not what the Bible says.

"They went off the biblical text, but the biblical text was very terse,” Baron said.

Still, Baron believes that "anything that will result in people taking a second look at the text and engaging with the Bible" is a positive thing.